GE-Exclusive Technology Helps Scottish Utility Integrate

GE-Exclusive Technology Helps Scottish Utility Integrate Renewable Energy and Meet Complex Grid Challenges

GE Providing Series Capacitor Bank Project with Patented Sub-Synchronous Resonance (SSR) Filters
Solutions Increase Reliability, Efficiency and Power Transfer Capabilities of Scottish Power’s Transmission Lines
GE–BBES Consortium Providing Offshore and Local Design, Construction, Maintenance and Support

CHICAGO—April 16, 2014 — GE’s Digital Energy business (NYSE: GE) today announced it will provide series compensation capabilities to three of SP Power Systems Limited’s ( Scottish Power) facilities in southern Scotland, helping the utility meet and mitigate today’s highly complex and technical grid challenges. GE’s series compensation technology is being showcased this week at the 2014 IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference & Exposition in Chicago.

The utility will be installing series capacitor banks with sub-synchronous resonance (SSR) filters to its substations, increasing the reliability, efficiency and power transfer capabilities of Scottish Power’s 400-kilovolt transmission network. The updates to Scottish Power’s network will continue to allow power to flow seamlessly from northern Scotland into England. GE’s series compensation solution enables the broader initiative of the European Union’s target to integrate more than 15 percent renewable generation into their portfolio mix.

GE and Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES)—a leading supplier for Scottish Power’s substation equipment—will provide installation, commissioning and maintenance of series compensation banks with SSR filters at Scottish Power’s Moffat (400-kilovolt, 560-MVAr), Gretna (400-kilovolt, 560-MVAr) and Eccles 1 and 2 (400-kilovolt, 442-MVAr each) substations. These series capacitor banks with SSR filters will provide Scottish Power, part of the Iberdrola Group, a cost-effective method to increase power transfer across its long transmission lines. Working with BBES enabled GE to fulfill and meet local requirements and standards for Scottish Power’s facilities. It also establishes a localized presence in the region that can provide long-term support and maintenance to each of the series capacitor banks as needed.

“Our priority is to provide a safe, reliable and efficient transmission network to benefit all of our customers,” said Mike Young, series compensation program manager, Scottish Power. ”We believe that GE offers the best technical solution and meets the stringent safety and environmental requirements of our project. We look forward to working closely with the GE team to deliver this project.” The four series compensation banks installed by GE will utilize its reliable fuseless capacitor design and will include metal-oxide varistors and triggered air gaps. The scope of the project also includes detailed studies and analysis from GE’s Energy Consulting business for the design and application of the SSR filters. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

“Understanding Scottish Power’s needs for an efficient and safe transmission network, our world-renowned Energy Consulting team provided detailed system studies and analysis on SSR mitigation and filter design, equipping Scottish Power with the most economical and reliable approach to meet their requirements,” said Bob Turko, general manager, power systems, GE’s Digital Energy business. “This project reinforces our industry-leading series compensation system utilizing SSR mitigation filters, demonstrating GE’s strong technical capability and reestablishing its focus in the European sector.”

This announcement builds on GE’s deep history as a supplier of SSR mitigation solutions and filters, which dates back to the 1970s—from the Navajo station 40 years ago to the company’s most recent project with Newmont Mining.